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American mother and daughter taken hostage by Hamas are released as humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:21 GMT

(CNN) — Hamas released two American hostages, Judith Tai Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter, Natalie Raanan, on Friday nearly two weeks after launching a deadly attack in Israel and abducting around 200 people.The US citizens were handed over at the border with Gaza and are now in the care of the Israel Defense Forces, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Friday. They are currently on their way to an Israeli military base to be reunited with family, according to the office for Israel’s prime minister.The Raanans are from Chicago and had been visiting relatives in Nahal Oz, a farming community in southern Israel, when they were taken hostage on October 7, according to their family.During the attack, Hamas militants killed more than 1,400 people, including civilians and soldiers, according to Israeli authorities. It was the most deadly attack by militants in Israel’s 75-year history and revealed a staggering intelligence failure by the country’s security forces.Israel has sinc...

Regular service resumes after shuttle buses replace trains on part of Green Line

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:21 GMT

Regular service resumed Friday evening after shuttle buses temporarily replaced train service along part of the MBTA’s Green Line, the T said. The MBTA first announced delays on the Green Line in a post on X around 3:45 p.m., saying a train with a pantograph problem near Lechmere station was to blame.In an update shortly after 4 p.m., the T said shuttle buses were replacing service between North Station and Union Square station as well as between North Station and the Medford/Tufts station. The T said shuttles were continuing to replace train service around 4:45 p.m. Shortly before 7:30 p.m., the T said trains were running again in the area after crews made repairs to the overhead wire. While shuttle buses had been phased out, the T said riders should expect residual delays of about 15 minutes.

Ravens OLB Odafe Oweh set to return Sunday; safety Marcus Williams, Lions RB David Montgomery out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:21 GMT

For the first time since Week 2, the Ravens will have Odafe Oweh back on the field.The third-year outside linebacker was a full participant in practice for a second straight day Friday in Owings Mills and did not have an injury designation for Sunday’s home game against the Detroit Lions (5-1). Oweh had been sidelined since suffering an ankle injury against the Bengals in Cincinnati and returned to practice earlier this week.His return is a welcome one for a group that has leaned on veteran additions Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy the past few weeks. The Ravens, though, are tied with the Buffalo Bills for the league lead with 24 sacks.“He looked good,” coach John Harbaugh said Friday of Oweh, who has eight sacks in 34 games after being drafted No. 31 overall in 2021. “It was good to see him back out there.”The only Ravens who did not practice Friday were safety Marcus Williams (hamstring) and cornerback Kevon Seymour (ankle). Both are out for Sunday,...

Ticker: US auto workers’ union boss says strikes will continue; Spirit Airlines cancels dozens of flights

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:21 GMT

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said Friday that while Detroit’s automakers have increased their wage and benefit offers, he believes the union can gain more if it holds out longer in contract talks.In a Facebook Live appearance, Fain didn’t announce any more factories to add to those that have been on strike for up to five weeks. But he warned that the UAW could announce such an expansion of its strikes at any time, depending on how much progress it makes in its negotiations with the automakers.In the past 24 hours, Fain said, Stellantis and GM have made wage offers that matched Ford’s 23% over the life of a four year contract. But, speaking in his characteristic sharp tones, the union president insisted that the companies can go further.Spirit Airlines cancels dozens of flightsSpirit Airlines canceled about 100 flights on Friday after pulling some planes out of service for inspections, and the airline expects the disruptions to last several days.Spirit did not describe th...

Gaza ground invasion appears imminent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:21 GMT

A ground invasion appears imminent after the Israeli defense minister monitored his forces as tanks and troops amassed near the Gaza border.The Jerusalem Post reports that Yoav Gallant arrived near the border last night to meet with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials. “He closely monitored the readiness of the Israeli forces for a possible ground invasion of Gaza,” the Post reported.There’s a growing expectation of a ground offensive that Israel says is aimed at rooting out Hamas militants who rule Gaza. Israel said it does not plan to take long-term control over the tiny territory, home to some 2.3 million people.As the Israeli military punished Gaza with airstrikes, authorities inched closer to bringing aid from Egypt to desperate families and hospitals. Fighting between Israel and militants in neighboring Lebanon also raged, prompting evacuations of Lebanese and Israeli border towns as fears of a widening conflict grew.A potential Israeli ground assault is li...

As list of declined invitations reaches double digits, Red Sox conduct unexpected interview

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:21 GMT

The Red Sox are leaving no stone unturned in their search for new baseball operations leadership.In part because, apparently, they have to.There’s a bevy of options, but the talk-to-strikeout ratio isn’t balanced in Boston’s favor. With Kim Ng officially taking herself out of the running, the list of “No’s” balloons to at least 10. (That’s not including former GM Theo Epstein, either.)While Mike Hazen and Amiel Sawdaye received extensions from the Arizona Diamondbacks, and former Astros GM James Click dropped out after his interview, Ng and the other six known candidates turned down the Red Sox in the interview invitation stage.In the hours following their firing of Chaim Bloom on Sept. 14, team president and CEO Sam Kennedy said he anticipated “a broader search” this time around.“One that, frankly, could take a while,” he cautioned.But did the brass expect this level of disinterest? Red Sox assistant GM Raquel Ferreira is one of several executives who cited family reasons whe...

Spirit cancels more than 40 flights at Orlando International, grounds 25 jetliners for mandatory inspections

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:21 GMT

An unknown number of Spirit Airlines passengers saw their travel plans disrupted on Friday as the discount carrier grounded up to 25 jetliners for what the Federal Aviation Administration called “mandatory inspections,” and more than 40 flights were canceled at Orlando International Airport.According to data provided by FlightAware, an online tracker of worldwide daily commercial airline activity, the Miramar-based discount carrier led the industry with 98 flight cancellations as the day unfolded.“We’ve canceled a portion of our scheduled flights to perform a necessary inspection of a small section of 25 of our aircraft,” Spirit said in a statement. “While this action is being taken out of an abundance of caution, the impact to our network is expected to last several days as we complete the inspections and work to return to normal operations.”Neither the FAA nor Spirit identified what the inspections entailed.Passengers on Friday wait at Spirit Airlines’ ticket counter at Fort Laude...

Cape Cod shark researchers tag 8 great whites during ‘pretty busy’ October, shark spotted 20 yards from shore

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:21 GMT

After a challenging shark research season because of nasty stormy weather, Cape Cod great white shark researchers recently enjoyed a busy stretch on the water.The shark scientists with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries successfully tagged eight great whites off the Cape on Wednesday and Thursday.While beachgoers are few and far between after Labor Day, many sharks continue to stick around the Cape as they hunt for seals throughout the fall.“October is usually a pretty busy month for us,” Megan Winton, research scientist at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, told the Herald on Friday. “This season has been tough for us weather-wise, with the bad weather stirring up the water. Every weekend a storm was rolling through.“The water finally cleared up this week,” she added. “We finally had some calm days, so it was very workable out there, and we got a lot done.”Great whites were seen close to s...

Kendra Lara faces fewer charges related to June crash into Jamaica Plain home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:21 GMT

The weight of charges against City Councilor Kendra Lara following a June car crash into a Jamaica Plain house got a little lighter, with prosecutors dismissing two charges.Lara, 34, who represents Jamaica Plain as the District 6 councilor, appeared in municipal court in West Roxbury Friday with speeding and reckless operation dismissed from the lineup of charges related to the June 30 crash. A charge for failing to wear a seat belt will not move forward as it has reached its end with a finding of not responsible.The charges remaining include recklessly permitting bodily injury to a child under 14 years old, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, driving with a suspended license, driving an uninsured vehicle, driving an unregistered vehicle, and not placing a child under 8 years old and under 58 inches in a car seat. She pleaded not guilty to all charges.Lara has not been licensed for a decade, the Herald has reported. The injury to a child charge is related injuries suffered by he...

San Diego police pursue domestic violence suspect

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:21 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Authorities on Friday are pursuing a domestic violence suspect that started in La Jolla and has now reached downtown San Diego, police said.SkyFOX is over the chase at this moment in the video player above. City of San Diego increases distance parked cars must move every three days The pursuit started at 6600 Vista Del Mar in La Jolla, the San Diego Police Department watch commander told FOX 5.Check back for updates on this developing story.